Mail box mounting device

ABSTRACT

A mounting unit upon which a standard rural mail box may be mounted. The underside of the device includes two shaped jaws slidably fitted over threaded rods which run the length of the underside of the device. The shaped jaws may be gripped about the top end of any conventional vertical support member for the purpose of fastening the mail box and the attached mounting unit permanently to the said vertical support member.

United States Patent [191' Bender May 14, 1974 [5 MAIL BOX MOUNTING DEVICE 2,440,576 4/1948 De Haas 248/221 [75] n ento oy en er akersfield Calif- 2,552,9l5 5/l95l Zachnch 248/22] Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization, Primary Examiner- -Marion Parsons, Jr.

New York, Attorney, Agent, or FirmHoward l. Podell [22] Filed: Sept. 5, 1972 21 App]. No.: 286,553 [57] ABSTRACT A mounting unit upon which a standard rural mail box 52 us. Cl. 248 221 248 230 may be mounted The underside Ofhe device includes Int. CL c l a 1/3/02 two shaped jaws slidably fitted over threaded rods [58] Field of s'earc'lL 145 176 which run the length of the underside of the device. 54 g B 3 1 The shaped jaws may be gripped about the top end of any conventional vertical support member for the pur- [56] References Cited pose of fastening the mail box and the attached mounting unit permanently to the said vertical support UNITED STATES PATENTS member. 964,376 7/l9l0 Blackburn 248/226 B 1,777,884 10/1930 Horix 248/230 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a mounting device for fastening a mail box to a vertical support member, and particularly for the fastening of a conventional rural mail box to such a vertical support member.

An advantage of this device is that the standard mail box may be permanently fastened by the mounting device to the top of such vertical supports as pipes, square tubing, or standard size lumber sections, over a wide range of sizes.

A further advantage of the mounting is that it may be centered over the vertical support member to which it is fastened. Alternately, either end of the mounting may be fixed over the top of the vertical support memher.

The mounting consists of a mounting plate which is bolted to the bottom of the mail box. Two jaws are slidably mounted to longitudinal threaded rods fastened to the underside of the mounting plate, and threaded nuts on the rods permit the tightening of the shaped jaws about the top of the vertical support member which is used as the post of the mail box unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The objects and features of the invention may be understood with reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, taken together with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. I is a plan view of the bottom of the mounting plate;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the mounting plate;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the mounting plate; and

FIG. 4 is a partial view of one of the threaded rods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now descriptively to the drawing, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIG. 14 illustrate the mounting device which is formed of a mounting plate 16 attached to perpendicular sides 17 and end plates 11 which enclose the underside of the mounting plate. Two slidable jaws 12 are fitted over two continously threaded rods 13, with engaged nuts 14 and lockwashers 15 serving, when rotated on threaded rods 13, to draw the slidable jaws 12 together and to hold 5 jaws l2 clamped to the top of a vertical support memher which may be fitted between the two jaws. A shaped recess 21 is formed in the central portion of the inside section of each slidable jaw 12. Recess 21 is shaped in the form of a rectangular cutout, with a triangular shaped recess 23 formed in the mid-section of each of the opposing edges 24 of the rectangular recess 21. Each threaded rod 13 is fastened to the end plates 1 l of the device 12, with each threaded rod 13 located generally adjacent the respective side 17 of the device. Rectangular breather slots 18 may be formed in the sides 17 of the mounting unit.

Since the jaws 12 may be clamped together at any position along the continuously threaded rods 13, the mounting plate, and the attached mail box may be positioned with either the middle section of the mounting plate 16 and mail box located directly over the vertical support member, or with either the front or the back portion of the mail box and mounting plate located over the vertical support member.

Since obvious changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described herein, it is indicated that all matter contained herein is intended as illustrative and not as limiting in scope.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A mounting unit upon which a standard mail box may be fastened, the underside of said mounting unit incorporating two slidable jaws, and means to force said jaws towards each other so as to grasp and engage the top of a vertical supporting member which serves as the post for the mail box and mounting unit, in which the slidable jaws are loosely mounted about two threaded rods, each of the ends of each threaded rod being fastened to each of the opposing ends of the mounting plate unit, together with female threaded members engaged on said threaded rods which may be rotated so as to force the sliding jaws towards each other, so as to fix the mounting plate in a horizontal plane with the jaws clamped about the top sides of a vertical pole. 

1. A mounting unit upon which a standard mail box may be fastened, the underside of said mounting unit incorporating two slidable jaws, and means to force said jaws towards each other so as to grasp and engage the top of a vertical supporting member which serves as the post for the mail box and mounting unit, in which the slidable jaws are loosely mounted about two threaded rods, each of the ends of each threaded rod being fastened to each of the opposing ends of the mounting plate unit, together with female threaded members engaged on said threaded rods which may be rotated so as to force the sliding jaws towards each other, so as to fix the mounting plate in a horizontal plane with the jaws clamped about the top sides of a vertical pole. 